What you Reject is as important as what you Accept

There are many voices competing for our acceptance. Not all are true. Some are actually evil and intend to deceive.

Knowing which voice to heed is critical.

The voice of the Shepherd is the voice we all seek.

His voice won't be silenced by anyone. We are responsible to silence the voice of the deceiver around us.

That means we must be prepared to take whatever come to us and strain it thru the screen of the word of God. If it doesn't match up, it must go.

Some things you hear are freeing...some are bondage. We must be able to sort the two.

I have a friend who is just discovering the lie that some eschatology teachings have been for a long time. She said, "I feel like I have been living under a cloud". She is emerging from that dark pessimistic place. One that was looking to escape by a rapture, that takes events from the pages of newspapers and interpret each one as a harbinger of the end times. Deception. Darkness.

She may now fall into the trap of the other extreme. She will be in the light. It will be great. RIGHT? Sunshine. Optimism. Faith is NOT optimism. It seems like it should be..but it's not.

What this really means is as the enemy puts his crosshairs on her she will be destroyed when bad news shows up...as it always does. Tribulation denial creates terminal disappointment. Many will fall away when the trouble comes.

Jesus was a pessimist but with the Optimism of HIMSELF.

These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

If your heart beat in the last five minutes or if you took a breath in the last hour you are still in the world. You WILL have tribulation. If you somehow have bought the lie that all the trouble is in the past...you have been baited to be abused by the enemy of your soul.